Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

An evaporator which enables respective side surfaces of an inner liner defining a storage compartment to be uniformly cooled to provide uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment. A refrigerator includes the evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner. The evaporator includes at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least first and second side surfaces of the inner liner. The side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side to allow refrigerant of lower cooling capability to flow therethrough is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side to allow refrigerant of higher cooling capability to flow therethrough. The refrigerant cools the inner liner while flowing through the side surface cooling portion positioned at the downstream side for a longer period, enabling a uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0066301, filed on Jul. 21, 2005 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. More particularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator which enables opposite sides of an inner liner defining a storage compartment to be uniformly cooled.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a conventional refrigerator is an electrical appliance used to preserve various foods in a fresh state for a long period of time by maintaining a storage compartment storing the foods at low temperatures.

For example, a kimchi refrigerator disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2000-54515 includes a storage compartment adapted to open forwardly when storing foods, such as kimchi and the like, and a drawer-shaped receiving container positioned in the storage compartment to move linearly therein.

A conventional refrigerator includes a compressor to compress refrigerant at a high temperature and a high pressure, a condenser to cool and condense the refrigerant, an expansion unit to expand the refrigerant while reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant and absorb heat from the refrigerant, and the like, which constitute a cooling cycle. In the conventional refrigerator, when the refrigerant passes through the evaporator, it absorbs heat from an inner liner defining the storage compartment to cool an interior of the storage compartment.

Among the components of the cooling cycle, the evaporator includes a circular pipe shape. The evaporator further includes first and second side surface cooling portions positioned in close contact with opposite side surfaces of the inner liner which constitute left and right sides of the storage compartment. With the first and second side surface cooling portions, the refrigerant sequentially cools the opposite side surfaces of the inner liner while sequentially flowing through the first and second side surface cooling portions, so that both sides of the storage compartment are cooled. The first and second side surface cooling portions are symmetrical to each other to have a substantially identical length, and are disposed on the opposite side surfaces of the inner liner, respectively.

Meanwhile, since the refrigerant absorbs heat from the inner liner and is evaporated while passing through the evaporator, cooling capability of the refrigerant is gradually lowered as it moves from an inlet of the evaporator positioned near the expansion unit to an outlet of the evaporator positioned near the compressor. Thus, when passing through an upstream side of the evaporator, the refrigerant has excellent cooling capability in comparison to when passing through a downstream side of the evaporator.

Thus, when passing through the first side surface cooling portion positioned at the upstream side of the second side surface cooling portion, the refrigerant has excellent cooling capability in comparison to when passing through the second side surface cooling portion, so that non-uniform cooling is performed between one side of the inner liner cooled by the first side surface cooling portion and the other side of the inner liner cooled by the second side surface cooling portion, resulting in non-uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide an evaporator which enables respective side surfaces of an inner liner defining a storage compartment to be uniformly cooled to provide uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment, and a refrigerator including the same.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

These and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a refrigerator including a housing defining an outer appearance, an inner liner positioned in the housing to define a storage compartment to store foods, and an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, the evaporator includes at least two side surface cooling portions, respectively positioned on at least first and second side surfaces symmetrical to each other among side surfaces of the inner liner, and the side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of refrigerant.

The inner liner is opened at a front side thereof to define the storage compartment, and the evaporator includes a first side surface cooling portion positioned on the first side surface constituting one of left and right side surfaces of the inner liner facing each other, and a second side surface cooling portion positioned at the downstream side in the flow direction of refrigerant of the first side surface cooling portion while being positioned on the second side surface constituting the other side surface of the inner liner, the second side surface cooling portion being longer than the first side surface cooling portion.

The first side surface cooling portion is bent to form a plurality of arrays in a vertical direction, and positioned on an outer surface of the first side surface, and the second side surface cooling portion is bent to form a plurality of arrays in the vertical direction, and positioned on an outer surface of the second side surface, the number of arrays of the second side surface cooling portion being more than that of the arrays of the first side surface cooling portion.

The refrigerator further includes a drawer-type receiving container positioned in the storage compartment to move linearly and store the foods.

The evaporator further includes a lower surface cooling portion positioned on an outer surface of a lower surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the lower surface of the inner liner such that the refrigerant sequentially passes through the lower surface cooling portion, the first side surface cooling portion, and the second side surface cooling portion.

The evaporator further includes a lower surface cooling portion positioned on an outer surface of a lower surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the lower surface of the inner liner such that the refrigerant sequentially passes through the first side surface cooling portion, the lower surface cooling portion, and the second side surface cooling portion, such that the first and second side surface cooling portions have substantially a same cooling capability.

It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a refrigerator including a housing defining an outer appearance, an inner liner positioned in the housing to define a storage compartment to store foods, and an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, the evaporator includes at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least two side surfaces among side surfaces constituting the inner liner, and the side surface cooling portion positioned near an outlet of the evaporator is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned near an inlet of the evaporator.

The inner liner is opened at a front side to define the storage compartment, and the evaporator includes a first side surface cooling portion positioned on one of left and right side surfaces of the inner liner facing each other, and a second side surface cooling portion positioned on the other side surface of the inner liner to receive the refrigerant from the first side surface cooling portion, the second side surface cooling portion being longer than the first side surface cooling portion.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide an evaporator positioned on an outer side of an inner liner including a plurality of side surfaces to define a storage compartment, and to absorb heat from the inner liner, the evaporator includes at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least two side surfaces among the side surfaces constituting the inner liner, and the side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of refrigerant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the inner construction of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating installation of an evaporator in the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating installation of an evaporator in a refrigerator in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention while referring to the figures.

In FIG. 1, a refrigerator according to the present invention comprises a housing 10 defining an outer appearance of the refrigerator, and an inner liner 11 which is positioned in the housing 10 and is opened at a front side thereof to define a storage compartment 11 a to store foods such as kimchi. A space between the housing 10 and the inner liner 11 is filled with a foam resin for thermal insulation. In this embodiment, two inner liners 11 are positioned at upper and lower portions of the housing 10 to define two storage compartments 11 a at upper and lower portions of the housing 10.

Each of the storage compartments 11 a comprises a drawer-type receiving container 20 to move linearly therein and receive the foods. The drawer-type receiving container 20 comprises a cover 21 to close an open part of the storage compartment, and a receiving part 22 equipped to a rear side of the cover 21 and comprising an enclosure shape opened at an upper portion to receive the foods. The receiving container 20 comprises guide rails 23 respectively provided on opposite sides thereof such that the receiving container 20 linearly moves in each storage compartment 11 a.

In FIG. 2, in order to preserve the foods at lower temperatures in the storage compartment 11 a, the refrigerator further comprises a compressor 30 to compress refrigerant at a high temperature and a high pressure, a condenser 40 to cool and condense the refrigerator discharged from the compressor 30, an expansion unit 50, such as a capillary pipe, to expand the refrigerant discharged from the condenser 40 while reducing the pressure of the refrigerant, and an evaporator 60 to evaporate the refrigerant discharged from the expansion unit 50 and absorb heat from the inner liner 11, and the like, which constitute a cooling cycle. The inner liner comprises a metallic material of excellent thermal conductivity to allow easy absorption of heat via the evaporator 60.

Among the components of the cooling cycle, the evaporator 60 is embodied by a circular pipe as shown in FIG. 3, and is positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner 11 to absorb heat from the inner liner 11. The evaporator 60 comprises a lower surface cooling portion 61 positioned under a lower surface of the inner liner 11 to absorb heat from the lower surface of the inner liner 11, and first and second side surface cooling portions 62 a and 62 b respectively positioned on outer surfaces of left and right side surfaces corresponding to left and right sides of the inner liner 11 while facing each other.

In this embodiment, the first side surface cooling portion 62 a is positioned on an outer surface of a first side surface constituting the left side of the inner liner 11, and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is positioned on an outer surface of a second side surface constituting the right side of the inner liner 11. The refrigerant discharged from the expansion unit is delivered to the compressor 30 after sequentially cooling the lower surface, the first surface and the second surface of the inner liner 11 while sequentially passing through the lower surface cooling portion 61, the first side surface cooling portion 62 a, and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b, such that the first side surface cooling portion 62 a and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b have a same cooling capability.

Thus, the first side surface cooling portion 62 a is positioned near an inlet of the evaporator 60 to which the refrigerant is delivered from the expansion unit 50, and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is positioned near an outlet of the evaporator 60 through which the refrigerant is delivered to the compressor 30, so that the first side surface cooling portion 62 a is positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of the refrigerant in the second side surface cooling portion 62 b.

The construction as described above is advantageous in terms of preservation of the foods for a long period of time in that the interior of the storage compartment 11 a comprises an uniform distribution of temperature. Thus, in the refrigerant of the present invention, the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is longer than the first side surface cooling portion 62 a in order to ensure that the left and right sides of the inner liner 11 are uniformly cooled. As a result, a time taken for the refrigerant to cool the second side surface of the inner liner 11 while passing through the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is longer than that of the refrigerant to cool the first side surface of the inner liner 11 while passing through the first side surface cooling portion 62 a.

In this embodiment, the first side surface cooling portion 62 a is bent to form two arrays in a vertical direction, and is positioned in contact with the outer surface of the first side surface, and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is bent to form three arrays in the vertical direction, and is positioned in contact with the outer surface of the second side surface. Thus, the second side surface cooling portion 62 b formed by the three arrays is longer than the first side surface cooling portion 62 a formed by the two arrays.

While flowing through the evaporator 60, the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the inner liner 11, and is gradually lowered in cooling capability. Since the refrigerant flowing at the upstream side has excellent cooling capability in comparison to the refrigerant flowing at the downstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant, the refrigerant passing through the first side surface cooling portion 62 a positioned at the upstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant in the second side surface cooling portion 62 b has excellent cooling capability in comparison to the refrigerant passing through the second side surface cooling portion 62 b.

With the structure as described above in which the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is longer than the first side surface cooling portion 62 a, the refrigerant passing through the first side surface cooling portion 62 a has excellent cooling capability, and enables the first side surface of the inner liner 11 a to be cooled in a shorter time. In addition, the refrigerant passing through the second side surface cooling portion 62 b has lower cooling capability, and causes the second side surface of the inner liner 11 a to be cooled in a longer time. As a result, the first and second side surface cooling portions 62 a and 62 b have similar cooling capability, so that the first and second side surfaces of the inner liner 11 can be cooled to a similar level, maintaining a uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment.

Although the first side surface cooling portion 62 a is bent to form the two arrays and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is bent to form the three arrays in this embodiment, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this structure. Namely, the object of the present invention can be accomplished by bending the second side surface cooling portion 62 b to form any number of arrays such that the number of arrays constituting the second side surface cooling portion 62 b is more than that of arrays constituting the first side surface cooling portion 62 a.

In addition, although the refrigerant sequentially flows through the lower surface cooling portion 61, the first side surface cooling portion 62 a, and the second side surface cooling portion 62 b in this embodiment, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this structure. As shown in FIG. 4, the evaporator 70 may have the structure to allow the refrigerant to sequentially flow through the first side surface cooling portion 72 a, the lower surface cooling portion 71, and the second side surface cooling portion 72 b.

As apparent from the above description, in the refrigerator according to the present invention, a side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant to allow the refrigerant of a lower cooling capability to pass therethrough is longer than another side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side in the flow direction to allow the refrigerant of a higher cooling capability to pass therethrough. Thus, the refrigerant cools the inner liner while flowing through the side surface cooling portion positioned at the downstream side for a long period of time, so that the two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned at the upstream and downstream sides have similar cooling capability, thereby enabling a uniform distribution of temperature in the storage compartment.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

1. A refrigerator comprising: a housing defining an outer appearance; an inner liner positioned in the housing to define a storage compartment to store foods; and an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, wherein the evaporator comprises at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least first and second side surfaces symmetrical to each other among side surfaces of the inner liner, and wherein the side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of refrigerant.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the inner liner is opened at a front side to define the storage compartment, and the evaporator comprises: a first side surface cooling portion positioned on the first side surface constituting one of left and right side surfaces of the inner liner facing each other; and a second side surface cooling portion positioned at the downstream side in the flow direction of refrigerant of the first side surface cooling portion while being positioned on the second side surface constituting the other side surface of the inner liner, the second side surface cooling portion being longer than the first side surface cooling portion.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the first side surface cooling portion is bent to form a plurality of arrays in a vertical direction, and positioned on an outer surface of the first side surface, and the second side surface cooling portion is bent to form a plurality of arrays in the vertical direction, and positioned on an outer surface of the second side surface, the number of arrays of the second side surface cooling portion being more than that of the arrays of the first side surface cooling portion.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprises a drawer-type receiving container positioned in the storage compartment to move linearly and store the foods.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the evaporator further comprises a lower surface cooling portion positioned on an outer surface of a lower surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the lower surface of the inner liner, wherein the refrigerant sequentially passes through the lower surface cooling portion, the first side surface cooling portion, and the second side surface cooling portion.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the evaporator further comprises a lower surface cooling portion positioned on an outer surface of a lower surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the lower surface of the inner liner, such that the refrigerant sequentially passes through the lower surface cooling portion, the first side surface cooling portion, and the second side surface cooling portion.
 7. A refrigerator comprising: a housing defining an outer appearance; an inner liner positioned in the housing to define a storage compartment to store foods; and an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, wherein the evaporator comprises at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least two side surfaces among side surfaces constituting the inner liner, and wherein the side surface cooling portion positioned near an outlet of the evaporator is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned near an inlet of the evaporator.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the inner liner is opened at a front side to define the storage compartment, and the evaporator comprises a first side surface cooling portion positioned on one of left and right side surfaces of the inner liner facing each other, and a second side surface cooling portion positioned on the other side surface of the inner liner to receive the refrigerant from the first side surface cooling portion, the second side surface cooling portion being longer than the first side surface cooling portion.
 9. An evaporator positioned on an outer surface of an inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, the inner liner comprising a plurality of side surfaces to define a storage compartment, the evaporator comprising: at least two side surface cooling portions respectively positioned on at least two side surfaces among the side surfaces constituting the inner liner, wherein the side surface cooling portion positioned at a downstream side is longer than the side surface cooling portion positioned at an upstream side in a flow direction of refrigerant.
 10. A refrigerator having an inner liner defining a storage compartment thereof, the refrigerator comprising: an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, and comprising side surface cooling portions positioned along opposite sides of the inner liner and a lower surface of the evaporator, wherein refrigerant sequentially flows through the side surface cooling portion on the lower surface, and the side surface cooling portion on each of the opposite sides to uniformly cool the inner liner, and the side surface cooling portions on the opposite sides have substantially a same cooling capability.
 11. A refrigerator having an inner liner defining a storage compartment thereof, the refrigerator comprising: an evaporator positioned on an outer surface of the inner liner to absorb heat from the inner liner, and comprising side surface cooling portions positioned along opposite sides of the inner liner and a lower surface of the evaporator, wherein refrigerant sequentially flows through the side surface cooling portion on each of the opposite sides, and the side surface cooling portion on the lower surface to uniformly cool the inner liner, and the side surface cooling portions on the opposite sides have substantially a same cooling capability. 